Land Octorok
thumb|A Red Land Octorok. Land Octoroks—often referred to simply as Octoroks—are a species of land-dwelling cephalopods descended from oceanic mollusks found in the Legend of Zelda franchise. Similar in appearance to octopuses (and named after them) except for only possessing half as many legs, they have developed the unsightly ability to spit rocks at their foes, likely as a primarily defensive measure due to their weak physical structure. A cosmopolitan genus, they are closely related to other species of Octoroks, which have proven themselves to be extremely adaptable, although they are seemingly one of the most recent evolutionary lineage, perhaps only behind the Flying Octoroks and Octoballoons. Land Octoroks are known to avoid attacking one another despite their being of different subspecies, and an adventurer wearing a magical Octorok disguise is safe from their attacks. Some smaller varieties are also known to jump, though larger members do not—this may be a difference in tactics from juvenile and adult members, with adults being too heavy to employ the tactic. Octorok skin is notoriously weak and easily punctured, and just about any weapon can be used to dispose of them, be it sword, bow and arrow, bombs, boomerang, and even their own rocky projectiles should one deflect it back into them; however, land-based Octoroks seem less vulnerable to this final technique than their water-borne cousins. Their are three known color variations of Land Octoroks, likely indicating varying subspecies due to their highly variant strengths and that no Octorok has ever been seen with the ability to alter its appearance. Red Octoroks are the weakest and most common variety; at least one type has been known to move rapidly and spit their rocks in the four cardinal directions, although the reasons behind this behavior are not understood. Blue Octoroks are significantly stronger than their red cousins, and spit rocks more often; the smaller variety move about, unlike the smaller jumping red ones, and can creep up on foes under the cover of tall grass. Some Blue Octoroks are also known to move rapidly and spit rocks in the cardinal directions, as well. The final species, the Golden Octorok, is extremely rare and likely critically endangered. They are vastly more durable than their cousins, requiring many more hits than is average to take down. These Golden Octoroks are considered legendary within the nation of Hyrule, and possibly across the entire world. Despite being seemingly non-sapient in nature, at least one sapient member of the genus is known to exist, who was known to play Octoball for Lorule. Evolution While Octoroks as a whole evolved from oceanic mollusks, it can be easily assumed that Land Octoroks are a further evolution of the ancient Burrow Octoroks, which existed before the founding of Hyrule and were known for living on land but being confined to their burrows, perhaps partially as defense and partially as a way to conserve water or otherwise keep their skin hydrated. While Burrow Octoroks would sleep with either tufts of grass or rocks on their head as a way to camouflage themselves to fool and defeat their prey, Land Octoroks have never shown any such tactic, and instead move about freely, spitting their rocks seemingly at random. This may indicate poor eyesight on behalf of Land Octoroks (something their aquatic cousins do not appear to possess), but it may also simply be a misunderstanding as to their behavior. It seems likely that Flying Octoroks have evolved from Land Octoroks in a case of parallel evolution to the far more ancient but seemingly extinct Sky Octoroks. They are extremely similar in physical appearance to Red Octoroks, yet their hind tentacles have evolved insect-like wings that allow them to make short, flighty hops to and fro, often doing so specifically to avoid being attacked. Octoballoons also appear to have evolved from Red Octoroks, though have developed the ability to puff themselves up with lighter-than-air gases and float about, all the while being bloated with their young. Etymology "Octorok" is a portmanteau of octopus, aquatic invertebrates with which Octoroks share some physical similarities, and rok (as in rock), referring to the rocks that Octoroks fire as projectiles. Trivia *According to Link in Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Octoroks may be used as an edible dish. While this game is non-canonical, it is still possible for this to be true due to the game's Japanese origins and the fact that the Japanese often eat cephalopods. Behind the scenes *Octoroks of various types have appeared in every The Legend of Zelda title to date, with the solitary exception of Twilight Princess. Given that the game before that one, The Wind Waker, informed players that Octoroks had a "perfect attendance record", it is easily assumed that they were given a break for one game, as a sort of "vacation". In Twilight Princess, they were replaced with the Toadpoli lineage. Appearances This list only contains appearances of the land-based, ''non-burrowing'' varieties of Octoroks. Canonical video games *''The Legend of Zelda: The Hyrule Fantasy'' *''Zelda: The Adventure of Link'' *''The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past'' *''The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening'' *''The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages'' *''The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons'' *''The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords'' *''The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures'' *''The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap'' *''The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks'' *''The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds'' Non-canon video games *''Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon'' Other media *''The Legend of Zelda'' animated series *''The Legend of Zelda'' comic *''The Crystal Trap'' *''The Shadow Prince'' Category:The Legend of Zelda series Category:Enemies Category:Monsters Category:Species Category:Animals Category:Amphibians Category:Mollusks Category:Cephalopods Category:Octopuses Category:The Legend of Zelda: The Hyrule Fantasy Category:Zelda: The Adventure of Link Category:The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Category:The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Category:The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Category:The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Category:The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Category:The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures Category:The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Category:The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Category:The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Category:Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon